Were all the Sons of Feanor really that bad?

[Macalaure]

Originally Posted by Maedhros

Good idea Macalaure, then I put it to you, how do YOU think Fingolfin's and Finarfin's sons and daughters would have acted if they had also sworn Feanor's oath?

I don't really have an opinion formed, it just came to my mind.

Alright, let's speculate.

The first question is, of course, would they have sworn it in the first place, had they been in the same situation. Turgon, Finrod, and Galadriel would probably have had the strength to withstand it. The others? Fingon, Angrod, and Aegnor were said to have a mind not entirely unlike to those of Feanor’s sons. Is Orodreth the kind to withstand peer pressure?

Finarfin's children, being half Telerin, would have turned their back on Feanor’s House, and therefore the whole issue, at Alqualonde, before or after participating in the Kinslaying. They either would have followed their father and submitted to the judgement of the Valar (either hoping that by this they could escape the Everlasting Darkness, or simply accepting their fate), or followed Fingolfin like they did in "reality". The oath would have continued to troubled them, though, and it’s difficult to say whether at some point they would have done something “evil”.

We know that Fingon was almost as eager to leave Aman as Feanor's Sons were and I think he would have acted similarly to Maedhros and Maglor and been the most moderate among the oathtakers. He might have had the strength to abandon the oath at some point.

Originally Posted by skip

I don't belive evil was a word Tolkien used much (or at at all) in his books, and not by accident. Evil is an absolute concept. In order to be evil, one must clearly recognise Good and reject it.

This is the concept of evil I was applying here, too.

Originally Posted by Morthoron

If one eliminates the Oath of Feanor as an excuse, there are some evil deeds that cannot be explained away, save that these were some malignant elves.

True. However, it cannot just be eliminated and it’s not just an excuse. Without the oath as a cause, there would have been no kinslayings. The first was maybe rash, but the second two were caused by somebody else holding a Silmaril. You’re right that the deeds of Nargothrond cannot be explained by the oath alone. In fact, the oath alone would have commanded Celegorm and Curufin to take part in Finrod’s mission (although there would have been some very ugly scenes in the end, of course).

Originally Posted by Morthoron

One wonders about the level of free will inherent in these elves, and whether or not the chain of mayhem could not have been broken (there were elves of conscience who chose not to participate in either of the Kinslayings, after all).

I think at least Maedhros and Maglor were aware how atrocious their deeds were. I keep wondering what words Maedhros had for Celegorm and Curufin when he learned of the Nargothrond issues. The problem is, that at the same time they thought that they were right. Dior and Elwing held a Silmaril, which they considered to be their own. From their point of view, these two held an item which was not their own - and were obstinate about it.

Originally Posted by Morthoron

Celebrimbror, Curufin's son, either defied the Oath or (most unlikely) was not forced to take it.

The way I understand it, only Feanor and his sons were under the oath. Those who followed them were bound only by their loyalty.

[Lalaith]

Originally Posted by Elmo
I thought Haleth was a stupid old croan that caused her people a lot of unnecessary hardship...but that's a different topic

Ha, yeah I've always thought that! Especially when she moves them for the second time!!
__________________

Oh - in the words of Thrain, "this cannot be borne!"
And it's "crone", by the way.
But back to the question.
For Catholics, the first and greatest of the seven deadly sins was pride. The other side of pride was despair: hence, by that sin fell the angels.
Which of the sons suffered most from pride, and which from despair?

I think of poor Maglor, singing of his terrible grief for eternity.
Curufin, who in his despair tried to kill Luthien herself.
Maedhros, who tried so hard to strive for honour and yet hurled himself into the chasms of the earth once he gained his Silmaril.

Perhaps Amrod, killed at Losgar, was the most fortunate of them all.